Status: IN
Sorted order is a key prerequisite for two major families of efficient search and scan algorithms: it enables O(n) linear-scan techniques (two-pointer, adjacent-pair, greedy) after an O(n log n) preprocessing step, and it enables O(log n) binary search via convergence-loop structures that narrow a search range. The choice between these approaches depends on whether the problem requires processing multiple elements or locating a specific target.
Sorting is the shared upstream step; linear scan and binary search are the two downstream consumers that exploit the monotonicity it establishes, covering the full spectrum from exhaustive to targeted search
Depends on (SL): sort-preprocessing-enables-linear-scan, binary-search-variants-share-convergence-structure